Carlos Carvalhal makes his prediction for Real Madrid v Benfica | OneFootball

Benfica plays this Wednesday, February 25th, at Santiago Bernabéu for the second leg of the Champions League play-off, trying to overturn the 1-0 defeat at Luz. For Carlos Carvalhal, it is a difficult mission, but not impossible for the Eagles.

“Everything is possible, but it is very difficult. At this moment, Real Madrid has everything to go through, but it's football. We know how football is. If you can hold the 0-0 until the 75-80 minutes, nowadays, Benfica has players on the bench who in 10-15 minutes can transform something. That can also happen. But it is very difficult because Real Madrid certainly will not play with low lines to defend, because it is not their profile, it is not their DNA, but they will want to take control of the game. There is a very high percentage for Real Madrid and a very small one for Benfica,” he told the newspaper 'AS'.

The 60-year-old coach commented on the absence of José Mourinho, sent off in the first game: “I think he would like to be at the Bernabéu because he is welcome at the club. At least it was like that, right? Mourinho is missed by Benfica at the Bernabéu.”

The coach recalled the first leg: “Until the 20th minute, the game was balanced. Then, I think what stood out was the individual and collective quality of Real Madrid. Unlike Real Madrid, which defended normally with two lines of four, with eight, Benfica defended with all eleven. When they recovered the ball, they tried to go out and never succeeded. I think it was more credit to Real Madrid than a demerit of Benfica.”

The coach also analyzed the case between Gianluca Prestianni and Vinícius Jr., sharing his perspective on the accusations that marked the encounter between Benfica and Real Madrid and highlighting that he defends the principle of the presumption of innocence (Read HERE).

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.